How Green Becomes Wood

"If I ever happen to come into the possession of a dark violet nail polish colour, I will have to try it," Dark said, "It is nice to be allowed to paint my nails again, even though I still do not do so often."
 
"So, what I'm learning about the stay-at-home-dad gig is that the pay isn't great, but the benefits are huge!" Alec grinned. He was mentally going through his collection of nail polishes. They were not nearly as nice as a salon, but they were still good quality.
 
"I suppose you could say it that way," Dark replied with a little, content chuckle, "There are some things I miss about teaching, like structured breaks, but it has been nearly a year of being home now, and I have not begun to regret it."
 
"Hmm. I think I would enjoy it for a short time, like a year or two, but I'm not sure I'm built to work from home in any capacity," Alec remarked. He sanded a bit more before saying, "But first, I'd have to deal with the idea of being a dad."
 
Dark glanced sidelong at him and then said, "I did not have any desires for fatherhood until after we lost the first one. I envy those who always simply knew, one way or another. Sometimes it is not so clear." Shifting his gaze back to his work, he asked, "Is it something you spend time considering?"
 
"Not like a ton of time, no," Alec said with a brief chuckle. "It's kind of hard not to think about it at least a little bit, though, since that's kind of one of those future check marks. Not like how I hear it used to be, the expectation that you're going to go to college, get married, and have kids in that order, but it's still one of those things that comes up. Milo really wants to be a dad. Xander and Sloan absolutely do not want kids. Becky bounces back and forth. Emma... has plans. So, I had to think about it some."
 
"I suppose it is hard to never think about," Dark agreed, "and it is something worth considering. There are many problems in this world brought about by people becoming parents without considering if it is something they want." Then, glancing at Alec again, he asked, "What sorts of plans does she have?"
 
Alec paused sanding long enough to look at his father flatly. "Ba, it would be easier to tell you what kind of plans Emma does not have. But," he returned to sanding, "for kids, two. One boy and one girl. How she's going to make that work, I am not sure. After she has become settled in her career."
 
"With what you have said about her, I suppose that is true," Dark replied, "Wanting one son and one daughter is fairly standard, admittedly. I am sure she will survive if she ends up with a different proportion of children. Where are you at right now, on if you would like to be a father some day?"
 
"I'm not sure," Alec admitted. "I'd definitely like to wait until after college either way! But sometimes I think maybe I'd like to have a kid or two, but it's also an absolutely terrifying idea. Being around Ivy makes it easier to picture the idea of having a kid around, but at the same time, being around Ivy means that I get a glimpse of how hard it can be, too."
 
"I have three children and it is still terrifying," Dark replied, "I do not know if the terror dissipates with time. I will let you know if it does. I suppose the benefit of having Ivy around, for you and your brother, outside of the obvious value of having a sister, is you get to see what it is actually like to live with a baby, and now a toddler, so you can see if the work is worth the sweet moments."
 
"Ivy is a definite benefit, and, for once, our age difference works in our favor," Alec chuckled. "Ivy is very, very sweet, and I think, if I had an Ivy, it would be worth it, but what if I get a Xander? Woof." He shook his head. "I don't think I could handle a mini Xander."
 
"You have more experience in handling a Xander than anyone else," Dark pointed out, "and he will grow up in a safer home than what the two of you experienced, so they will not stay a mini-Xander for long."
 
"If you are raising the child with another person, though, it will delight them," Dark said, a little light in his eyes, "Anytime Ivy does something which reminds me of Daizi, which is not all that uncommon, it is wonderful, even though Daizi often vexes me."
 
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